Brother Brother - Young Warriors [CAS]

Billy Plake: Vocals, Guitars
Carl Kelly: Keyboards, PercussionDennon Dearman: Bass
Lance Huff: Drums
David Huff: Producer


This album may sound familiar to anyone who knows David and the Giants. The drummer (Lance Huff) and bassist (Dennon Dearman) are the same, and Brother Brother got started with David and the Giants (Young Warriors was actually produced by David Huff). I first met them on the Giants 'Long Time Coming' tour in 1992, and I loved it immediately. Brother Brother came back a year later to perform at my Baptist Student Ministry (due to technical difficulties, it ended up being an unplugged concert, but they improvised wonderfully) and sang in the middle of our campus.

Brother Brother sings very clean-cut rock music - 2 guitars and a drum set, and very little else. Despite that, they pack a lot of sound into the album. Carl Kelly and Bud Blake (brothers in Christ, but not really blood brothers) are really 'Young Warriors' in every sense of the words. Although relatively inexperienced, they have some of the best lyrics I've heard in a long while. From 'No Need For Suicide' ('There's a love that's greater than the pain inside your heart. There's a peace that's greater than the thing that's tearing you part. Jesus has already died - there's no need for suicide') to 'I Will Not Bow Down' (a song which every Christian should rally behind), this little-known duo hits the mark with every song.

The duo also does some very inspirational ballads. 'He Will Carry You' is full of hope for anyone who is under pressure, and 'Somebody Prayed' is testimony to the power of prayer. 'He Will Carry You' is a simple song, but has a lot of power behind the lyrics. It sounds a lot like some songs East to West has done. This song says that we're out of place in this world, up against the wind, but 'He will carry you when you cannot carry on, He will be the wings beneath you. He will carry you when the road seems so long, He will be your strength to carry on.' 'Send Down the Fire,' the next track, is a little more upbeat, and asks a question every Christian asks from time to time: 'Why have I fallen again and submitted to this familiar sin?' Brother Brother sings about the frustration of past failures acting as a stumbling block, and calls out for God to 'Send down the fire, let it consume the sacrifice of my heart.' After this comes a cry similar to Petra's 'I Am on the Rock.' In 'Lead Me to the Rock,' the duo sings that 'in this world of trials, many hearts have lost their way. Lead me to the Rock in this world of sand. Lead me to the Rock - there I will stand.' Young Warriors is a very enjoyable album, with both rock and ballads on it. And the band lives up to their lyrics and their ministry.

By David Longenecker as posted on http:/www.christianmusic.org

Compact Discs (CD):

We are quite picky as to the quality of the second hand CDs we sell. Unless noted, our compact discs rate at NM (Near Mint) or better. This means that the CD is free of scratches and or scuffs and inserts show no rough handling. We also replace all cases and most trays for new ones, so the CD you receive will most often appear as new. Our NEW and sealed CDs need no explanation, though because we have purchased old stock through various sources, at times we note that a CD case may be cracked or the seal torn. We will not replace the cases but if possible, we will include a new case with it. A note for international buyers. CD's are universal, they play here in North America the same as they play in South America or Africa.

Cassettes (CAS):

Every second hand Cassette we sell is play tested from start to finish as often it's not possible to properly assess the condition of a tape visually. Unless a cassette is rare, any that play with issues are discarded. We replace all cases with new ones, so the Cassette you receive will most often appear as new. Our NEW and sealed Cassettes need no explanation, though because we have purchased old stock through various sources, at times we note that a case may be cracked or the seal torn. We will not replace the cases but if possible, we will include a new case with it.

Vinyl Records (LP):

We grade records in a simplified scale as Audiophile grading is somewhat confusing for the average joe.

Our record grading often looks like this 'NM/NM' The first NM is the cover or jacket, the second NM is the Vinyl itself.

Jacket Grading:

NEW = New, Sealed in shrinkwrap
M = Jacket looks as good as new
NM = Some wear
VG = More pronounced wear, ringwear or wear at edges
G = The poorest of the lot, it still hangs on but has definetly seen better days
PH = Punched Hole (Typical deleted inventory) Hole punched through the jacket, does not affect the vinyl.
* = Indicates lyric sheet enclosed (we cannot be certain of lyric sheets being included in sealed records)


Vinyl Grading:

NEW = New, Sealed in shrinkwrap
M = A record that is opened but shows no sign of being played or looks untouched
NM+ = Looks close to untouched or new but showing minor signs of use
NM = Some use but not abused, this would be a basic or standard grading. Proper cleaning will give great playback.
NM- = A little bit more use, some visible scuffs but nothing concerning, may play with some more noise.
VG = A poor record, it will play with noise, will have some scuffs and look used but will not skip due to deep scratches.
G = Anything that we would grade as G we would not sell


Songbooks (SBK):

We grade on a simple scale of 1 to 10, 10 being perfect. We sell nothing that's a 6.5 or lower.

10 = Perfect, like new
9.5 = Just coulnd't get ourselves to deem it perfect
9.0 = Most Songbooks you find at a New bookstore would probably rate a 9 after some folks handle them
8.5 = Slight wear
8.0 = A little bit more wear or handling
7.5 = More use, pages not as crisp, edge wear
7.0 = Additional wear, wrinkling, handling, staining
6.5 = The bottom of the pile. Edges frayed, some pages coming loose, looks somewhat rough.


CCM Magazine (CCM):

Refer to Songbook grading above


Videos (VID):

We play test all open VHS videos to make sure they play properly, any issues or wear will be noted. As we are in North America, our video cassettes are strictly in the NTSC Format and DVDs also in similar Region 1, North American format.